The Portland daily press., 1887-03-22
THE RosLINDAIE DISASTER.
The Commissioners Trying to AS
certain the Cause of 1t.
Testimony That the Bridge Was
Poorly Constructed.
An Engineer Who Predicted the
Structure Would Co Down.

BosToN, March 21.-The Railroad Com.
missioners resumed their investigation this
afternoon, into the cause Of the recent acci.
dent at Roslindale.
Henry A. G. Pomeroy, Of West Roxbury. 4
civil engineer. and formerly superintendent
of the New York & New England railroad.
was the first witness. He said that on the
morning of the accident he found ON the
| southern abutment Of the bridge a broken
brake rod, bent like horse shoe, with its
| points toward the abutment, and at that time
/ thought that might have caused the acci-
dent Since then have been told by an en-
ploye of the road that he had. found a brake
| hanger about 800 feet back on the track. He
looked for marks on the sleepers and failed
to find any. On looking over the wreck i'm
the road, however, he formed the theory that
the track hanger broke and let the brake rod
down. that the rod caught in the bridge de-
railing the cars and throwing down the
bridge. He first saw the bridge four years
ago last May. From what he saw at that
time, he Immediately condemned its form Of
construction. He made up his mind that the
bridge would stand until something went
wrong on top Of it, and then it would 60
down. Since this, on the Saturday before
the accident, said the witness, | came in on
the 8.45 o'clock train and rode in the baggage
car. AS we struck the curve, felt that the
track was worse than ever, and said to the
baggage master: IF they don't fix this
track soon you won't ride over this bridge
car on the front of the train going in town,
because l thought it would be more likely
to get over the bridge than the rear car. Go
ing out | rode in passenger car because the
speed was less and consequent the danger
less. think there is a chance for fully as
accident hQlnw Eoracf
lillls station. 1t is very sharp curve and
on the outer rail about the curve there is
decided depression. IL a fiange should break
on the six O'Clock express out from Boston,
which runs nearly 90 miles an hour around
that curve the train would pile up in Stony
Brook The witness said tnat on proper
ly constructed bridge the catching of brake
rod In the flooring might have derailed the
train but would have not brought down the
bridge, aud the guard rails would have car
rled the train across in safety.
Martin Lynch of Hyde Park, sub-foreman
IN the Boston paving department. testified
that he was on Washington street at the
time of the accident He watched the train
as L crossed the bridge and saw nothing out
Oh the way until the engine and the first two
cars had crossed, when there seemed to be q
sudden check as If something had broken.
Then, he said, saw the whole train going
down with the bridge. | don't remember
about the third car, but it seems to be. as
stand on end, and the fifth car went down
into the road, and the car that was standing
on end fell back on top of the wreck /
could not say whether or not it was only the
top OF car that saw stand on end /
dldn notice any dropping of the bridge
until the first cars had gone over. The wit
ness thought the Boston end of the bridge
gave way first and the fifth car was the first
to go down. The smoking car never got to
the bridge, but simply rolled down the en-
bankment
Joseph McDonough. laborer under Mr.
Lynch. cOrr0borated the latter'S testimony
Louis Arnold, of Highland Station. grad
uate of Lawrence Scientific School, testified
that he was on the wrecked train in the eighth
car. The first he knew there was a'shOck as
II the train had broken apart. This was
some three or four car lengths sfrOm the
bridge. He was not alarmed at first but as
several sho, ks followed Immediately he
jumped to his feet, and seeing that he was
close on the bridge, made up his mind that
he was going down that bridge He then
looked out the front window, determined to
see all that was going on. Looking out he
could see that the car ahead was still on the
track, as was his own car. As the end Of the
car reached the abutment he could see that
the rails were still intact and inclined down.
ward. On this incline the seventh car ran
smoothly down and his car followed The
bridge was still attached to the Dedham
abutment. AS they went down there were
were not very severe. Then came third
shock that tipped the cars sidewise and threw
them off the rail. The witness had not seen
anythlng wrong about the bridge lately, but
he had always felt apprehensions in going
over it. The bridge looked unsafe to any
one driving under it, and it was a frequent
remark of strangers that it looked so.
Miss Alice l.. Page of Dedham, paSsen-
ger on the sixth car, said she "sat near the
centre of the car on the left hand side. l
first experienced" she said, "a shock as if
the train was breaking up. looked out
OF the window and at once realized that we
were close to the bridge. The shocks con-
tinued and then we fell, but don't know Just
where l landed. | was helped over the
debris and through the window feet first,
and then jumped to the street. l don't
shocks came, but that they came from
ahead: 1t seemed as if we were long time
IN falling and there was a constant crush
ing"
Frank A. Davidson Of Highland Station
was in the first car of the wrecked train. He
was in the rear of the car, and his first ex-
perlence was that the car was off the
track and sinking slightly toward the left.
The car was then dragged over the track
and came to sudden stop. The sinking
was just as we left the bridge. Got out of
the car, and after seeing what had happened
ran to Forest Hills station to telegraph for
physicians. The telegraph operator refused
to send a message, and L then found tele-
phone, and calling up the central Office.
asked the operator to notify all physicians
connected Herewith; also told letter car
rier to ring in an alarm, which he promised
to do. To the best of his Judgment the
trucks over which he was riding did not
leave the rails until after crossing the bridge.
They ran smoothly enough over the bridge.